It’s been one heck of a week for the Bills and their fans, but as Thanksgiving approaches we have much to be thankful for.

The national media was filled with sensational stories about Buffalo and all the snow that had fallen. Just about everyone who knows I’m from Buffalo asked me about it – had I ever been through anything like that, did I have family that was being buried, does snow fall by the foot there. I had to explain lake effect snow to many of my uneducated friends – the way that air flowing off Lake Erie this time of year picks up massive amounts of moisture and drops it when it hits land and creating narrow but very intense bands of snow. People could hardly believe that a place like East Aurora might get a few feet of snow but towns just a few miles north might get very little. I also had to explain that when they say “Buffalo” they actually mean the south towns and the southern tier – the places that often get hit with this lake effect snow phenomena.

Regardless of how well people outside of western New York understood what was going on, it was an epic event by any measure. If you’re from the region the Blizzard of ’77 is the gold standard by which all other storms are measured, but for many communities last week the storm 37 years ago seemed mild. The pictures and stories that came out of the region were spectacular – words hardly do them justice.

So I settled back and waited for Buffalo to be the butt of yet another round of snow jokes and late night comedians wondering aloud why anyone would live in a place like Buffalo. Buffalo already has a reputation of being some snowy wilderness akin to Nome, Alaska – a place where people get around by sled dog and snow shoe and may be forced to kill their own food in the winter months. It’s painful to have such a reputation, but deep down I believe all of us who have lived there take pride in wearing a snow badge that tells everyone we’re tough enough to take it and love it.

I didn’t actually hear a lot of Buffalo snow jokes. What I did hear were the stories of how folks in the region made it through, helped out fellow citizens and laid rightful claim to the title City of Good Neighbors. Featured prominently were stories of Bills players – from Fred Jackson playing with his kids in the snow, to Doug Marrone helping push cars and helping warm up people on the street, to Mario Williams clearing driveways and bringing in supplies, to Dan Carpenter checking on elderly neighbors and making sure they could reach him if they needed anything at all. In a time when you hear so much about the bad things NFL players do it was great to see such genuine and neighborly acts define the Bills – it made me even prouder to be a Bills fan.

Despite all the insanity caused by the snow the Bills got to Detroit and prepared for Monday night’s game against the NY Jets. By all accounts the Detroit Lions organization went above and beyond in helping the Bills prepare for and host a game under trying circumstances – from painting the field with Bills logos to finding a locker for each player to having wings and blue cheese in the press box, Detroit proved they could be first class hosts.

Although tickets were given away for free, fans – and Bills fans in particular – showed up to cheer on the “home” team. The NY Jets were booed and there was an actual home field crowd advantage for Buffalo. Some made the trip all the way from the Buffalo area, others came from other locales to see the Bills play, but they were there, cheering.

Then there was the actual game. Coming off two very demoralizing losses I thought the game could be a time for the Bills to take their annual swan dive into the pool of mediocrity and just really give up, but they didn’t. In almost Grinch-like fashion, the team took adversity and channeled it into something positive. It wasn’t a bunch of Whos holding hands and singing “Dahoo Dory”, but it was fun to watch.

The Bills played well across the board on Monday night as an audience of snow-weary hometown fans watched on their televisions. The Bills defense was spectacular - three out of the first four Jet drives and 5 of their 12 on the night were 3-and-outs. The unit stat line showed 7 sacks, 2 takeaways, 218 yards and 3 points allowed. Michael Vick was held to 7 of 19 passing for 76 yards and a rating of 27.5.

Offensively the Bills got a giant monkey off their back by scoring a touchdown on their first drive. They scored 3 more touchdowns on offense and Carpenter hit a beautiful 53 yard shot right down the middle. On special teams Boobie Dixon blocked a punt that Manny Lawson recovered for another touchdown – suddenly the Bills were scoring all over the place. Kyle Orton looked pretty good, Robert Woods seemed to be catching passes everywhere – Coach Marrone actually went for it on 4th down (although that still needs some work). Sammy Watkins had a quiet night as the Jets rolled coverage his way, but that only helped Woods have a career night.

In the end the Bills kept their razor-thin playoff hopes alive while sweeping a divisional opponent (both of them drubbings, I might add). They refused to let the team fall below .500 for the first time all season, the first time since 2008 that they’ve remained even or better through 12 weeks.

On Monday we learned that the flooding following the record snowfall at home wasn’t as bad as originally feared. Ralph Wilson stadium, beset upon by legions of shovelers, will be set to host the Browns on Sunday at the normal date and time. The practice facility is ready for practice, the snow is off the field and while there was some damage to the stadium it appears to be minor.

So as we sit down to gorge ourselves on fowl and football this Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for this past week. For the adversity that brings out the best in western New Yorkers. For the pride we have in our region. For the hospitality of Detroit – somewhere upstairs Ralph Wilson has got to be overjoyed to see how his home town treated his team. Let us be thankful a team that can and did put together a solid game across the board. Let us be thankful for the entertainment break the team provided to the home fans. Let us be thankful that the Bills have given us something to be thankful for.